Happily Playing

Me with some toys

Hello

(Posted by Mommy)

I now have a limited vocabulary of "hello," "I love you," "Mommy," and "Daddy." When Mommy and other people act goofy around me, I laugh. I'm working on crawling. I've almost learned to roll over. I can sit-up holding Mommy or Dady's fingers -- by myself. My current "weigh-in," as of tonight, is just over 13 lbs. I'm also sleeping in my own crib now, too.

2 month appointment

[posted by mommy]

Even though I am a little over two months I had my 2 month appointment with my new doctor. In fact I made history because I was the very first patient of the new Princess Anne Practice that opened today. I really like my doctor. I was all smiles the whole appointment until I got my shots, then I cried because it hurt but then when the doctor came back in I was all smiles again.

They weighed me without even my diaper and so I am 11lbs 9oz..with my diaper I am almost 13 lbs. I am now exactly 2 feet tall. My head is 15.5 inches. All of these are exactly average for babies.

I received my first immunizations. That was not fun but mommy told me it hurt less than if I got the sicknesses it protects me from.

Virginia - Virginia Tech Game

[posted with the help of mommy & Daddy]I'm in the bouncer mommy made me with my VT shirt on watching the UVA-VT game on November 25, 2006 at noon. As you know mommy and daddy are both fans of VT and UVA. So everyone enjoyed the game.

First Thanksgiving

[posted with the help of mommy] I slept most of the afternoon after mommy fed me after dinner. She told me it was the Turkey:)

Mom's Birthday

[Posted by Dad] Recently it was Mom's birthday,
below is a picture of me giving her a gift.

Having fun with bubbles

Mommy is holding me while daddy blows bubbles and I try to catch them. These are high quality bubbles for infants.

Joshua with Saint Nicholas

(posted by mommy)

This is me with Santa Clause. He is also know as Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of Byzantine Catholic Churches.

Saint Nick was a Bishop. There was a girl who was too poor to have a dowry for marriage but she wanted to be married. So Saint Nick collected the money and threw it into the house so she could be married and she was. Then he collected more money for each sister and did the same. From his giving to the poor and collecting almsgiving, the tradition has passed down to give gifts to the poor at Christmas as well as giving small gifts to those we love.

A day in the life of Joshua Miller

(posted by mommy)

I have continued eating, and sleeping, and making dirty diapers. But things have kind of fallen into a routine. I wake up around 8am and mommy feeds me and changes my diaper. We usually go out into the world for the rest of the morning doing various activities. During this time I usually eat twice and make 2 dirty diapers. We get home and mommy feeds me and changes my diaper and then I take a nap. When I wake up, mommy does her exercises with me and I get to exercise too. Then I watch my bears for a while. When I'm bored with that, mommy feeds me and changes my diaper and then we do some chores cleaning around the house. Mommy carries me in her carrier made by grandma posted in as picture on the previous post. Then I usually fall asleep and mommy makes dinner. Then daddy comes home and we all eat. After that I get changed by mommy and then daddy plays with me for a couple hours. Daddy does all sorts of new things with me like swinging me in my new swing, blowing bubbles at me, trying to help me crawl and sometimes we play video games. Then I go back to mommy for my bath, food and changing. Then daddy takes me for about a half hour more while mommy showers and gets ready for bed. Then mommy takes me to bed and we eat and change a diaper and eat some more and then I fall asleep. I wake up around 2-3am and then again around 5-6am and mommy feeds me, changes, my diaper, and feeds me and then I'm back to sleep.

That's my day!

Joshua at Festival

Joshua at the festival at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Joshua with Yaya

Joshua with his Yaya.


His Yaya recently underwent a procedure to help her knees. Please keep her in your prayers, as she continues towards her recovery .. which could take several months.

Joshau with great grandma

Joshua being held by his great grandma.

Joshua with Papou

Joshua gets a kiss from his Papou.

I keep learning

(posted by Daddy)

I keep learning new things every day. I've learned how to fake being hungry; so that when I want Mommy, I know what to do. I've also learned how to indicate that I want to have a tour of the house. I just hold my head up and look intently at something far away, I then get my tour.

I have my schedule set. It starts when the sun goes down -- I know that this is a sign that I will get to see Daddy soon, so I get up and alert. Then I play and have fun for a few hours. I like this time. Then, I go and take a long nap until it gets light out. Sometimes I drive around places then, sometimes I sleep in for a few more hours. Then, I get up a little. Then I take a nap. Then I get up and it starts to get dark, so the cycle continues.

As long as I am help about 23 and 1/2 hours a day, and am fed, changed, played with, and entertained, all is well. I'm quiet and well-behaved. When things don't go right, I sing a song and all is fixed.

6 weeks

posted by mommy

I'll be 6 weeks tomorrow and no one can believe how fast I'm growing. I'm now holding my head and I can roll over. I scared mommy half to death when she laid me on my back and she found me a minute latter on my tummy perpendicular to where she laid me. I can also get my thumbs out of the mittens on my sleep suit.

Joshua with Papou and Daddy

Joshua with Papou; Daddy in the background.


This and the earlier few pictures were taken when great grandma came into town with Yaya and Papou on October 26th. We all had fun. We played Apples to Apples, and other fun games. Papou won at Apples to Apples.

Joshua with his Yaya

Joshua with his Yaya.

Joshua with Great Grandmother

Joshua with his great grandmother

Attention Please

[posted by mommy]

In the last few days I have accomplished some big things. I can scooch across the floor (note...not crawl but scooch). I also cry many times to let daddy and mommy know I want to see things especially my mobile. I am facinated with the bears that go round and round and can stare at it for at least 15 minutes if not more. I also like the Pooh characters on the bouncer chair my grandma got me. I try to grab Pooh and have been sucessful a couple times. When mommy or daddy drive I love looking out the window. I love just seeing things and people.

Happy Birthday to me

[posted by mommy]

I am one month old today and love my life very much. I eat and sleep a lot and dirty my diaper. I don't cry everytime I dirty my diaper and so when my mommy sees it she calls me Mr. Poop-a-lot. That makes me smile. My mommy is also happy because for the last few nights I've gone to bed around midnight and wake up about 8:00 or 8:30 and I only wake up twice in the night. My mommy immediately changes my diaper and feeds me and then we both go back to sleep.

I also now like looking at things. If mommy or daddy sit too long in one place, I cry to let them know I want to walk around and see things. I especially like the mirror because when mommy takes me there, there are TWO mommies.

That brings me to my favorite topic - EATING...I eat a lot...and mommy is yummy. I now can eat in any position mommy puts me in. And I have eaten in so many places...Church, Doctor offices, the bathroom where daddy works, and Aunt Katie's work.

I love bathtime. Mommy makes me feel good then.

One of my favorite times is Mass. I sleep through most of it until the consecration. Then I wake up until I receive Communion. Then I go back to sleep. But I'm really quiet the whole time. And it always makes me smile.

I can now follow you with my eyes, touch you if you're close enough, and I even spit up a little. My favorite time was when daddy got home from work and he just picked me up. I spit up all over his work shirt. I went back to mommy right away. I also cry or turn my head when bells, or the telephone rings.

It's been a busy month...look how much happened

Joshua in the Bible

There are 5 Joshua's in the Bible:
1- Joshua, son of Nun, who scouted the land of Canaan, and from the Book of Joshua
2- The high priest associated with Zerubbabel in rebuilding the Temple
3- The owner of the field where the Ark of the Covenant was placed
4- The Governor of Jerusalem mentioned in 2 Kings
5- The Hebrew name for Jesus the Christ

The name Joshua comes from the Hebrew meaning “the Lord saves”. The Greek form of Joshua is Jesus and means the same.

Papou makes first deposit into Joshua's piggy bank.

[posted by Dad] The above picture is of Papou depositing money into Joshua's piggy bank. His auntie gave him the piggy bank as a birthday present.

Yaya with Joshua

Yaya with Joshua

Weighing In...

I'll be 4 weeks tomorrow and the nurses today said I'm around 9lbs. I was so happy because I eat all the time.

My favorite time - Eating

posted by Mommy

I really like to eat every two hours except when I'm really hungry and not sleepy, and then I eat every hour. I like mommy's milk best. Sometimes mommy and daddy try to give me other things like vitamins or even milk that they call "mommy's milk" but its doesn't taste the same and it always seems colder and most of the time I don't see mommy when I eat it.

I like to eat as long as I can before I fall asleep. Mommy always wakes me up though to burp me, which I like too...but sometimes I wish I could keep sleeping. (I think sometimes she wants to keep sleeping too).

I really like when mommy holds me with both arms across her body. I used to like laying beside her...but my head has gotten too big which makes that type of feeding much more difficult for me.

Mommy lets me eat everywhere and at any time. We've eaten at Babies R Us, at our Legion of Mary meeting, and Mass, after Mass at Church, in the car parked in a parking lot. Mommy says I've become an expert at eating. But what I can I say...its my favorite thing to do.

The Right Diaper for Me

[Posted by Dad]

The perfect diaper for me is no ordinary diaper. See, I am a special
baby, so here is want I want in a diaper:

1. Daddy-proof anti-tamper mechanism. I don't like when Daddy changes
diapers; Mommy is much better at it. Unlike Mommy, Daddy put on latex
gloves. He then puts me on a hard surface and with little concern for
my feelings wipes me all around with a cold tissue. Mommy is much
nicer. She changes me on a nice soft surface. Things feel warmer,
softer, and there is no use of the latex gloves. My perfect diaper
needs to be daddy-proof.

2. Sanitation duct. The diaper needs some sort of pipe or other thing
so that whatever comes out of me does not get held-up in the diaper.
Perhaps, simple holes where stuff comes out would work.

3. Mommy Notification System. If there is not sufficient duct-work,
there needs to be a device that notifies Mommy when diaper needs
changed. It must be encrypted so Daddy cannot figure it out.

4. Mommy Triangling Radar with monitor. The diaper needs three small
radar units which can triangulate and determine exactly where mommy is
located. A display unit and sound indicator are also needed so that If
mommy is more than 6 inches away I know to cry.

5. Daddy Triangling Radar with monitor. The monitor must alert me
when Daddy is approaching so that I can stop crying and act as though I
am peaceful always.

Some Firsts

[posted by Dad]

My first time in the stroller was with my dad. I was not even a week old when he buckled me in. He then whisked me around the down stairs of the house, and brought me to the kitchen. Every else ate. My mommy, daddy, and grandma all ate. I started to get hungry * just watching them!

My first time playing the piano was also with my dad. He helped me push down on the keys, they are big and heavy. I first played with my hands. After only a short while, I got smart and started using my feet * that was much easier.

My first diaper change was by my yaya on the very day I was born. My second was only minutes later. I've become an expert at dirtying diapers.

I had my first Holy Communion on the 30th of September; a lot of people were there. I took a bath first (Baptism), and was anointed with oils (Chrismation) first. My mommy, daddy, both my aunts, and all four of my grandparents were there. My uncle was not able to attend because he needed to go to a Virginia Tech football game. My Godparents are Mr. & Mrs. Paolo Munoz. They came; so did thier son, CJ.

My first sports outfit that I wore was my Virginia Tech outfit. I also wore Virginia Tech socks.

My first (NPTCGs) nonparental temporary care givers were my yaya and my papou. We hung out for a couple hours about a week or so after I was born. My second NPTCGs were my auntie Katie, and her friend Aaron. They hung out with me about a week after that.

Things I Like to Do

[posted by Dad]

I posted earlier that I like to be held. That is still true. I also
like to smile back at my mom when she smiles. Another one of my
favorite games is trying to knock mommy's glasses off. That is fun; I
mainly do it when I'm singing her a song.

My favorite songs to sings are: I am hungry, I want to be held, and I
am not comfortable. Sometimes I sing when I want to be held up high and
be given a tour of what is around me. I like to look around some.

More pictures

More pictures, posted by Dad, of Joshua Francis.

Joshua with Papou


Joshua in Car Seat

Christian Initiation Pictures

Pictures from my Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), and First Holy Communion.

Joshua's Blog

[posted by Dad]

I can't talk yet, but if I could I'd say "stop taking pictures of me!" I do not like having light flash in my eyes! As far as what I enjoy, it is primarily being held.